Subnostr

Wow there is a lot here.

There are two metabolic pathways for producing the energy we need to survive. Ingested glucose and foods that digest into glucose, and fats if varying length carbon chains. Our bodies operate on fats, it’s the preferred energy source and the way we store energy long term. Free fatty acids produced by the liver and absorbed in our lymph lacteals are stored in adipose tissue. The hormone that causes issue with the system is insulin. Let’s imagine we are foraging, scarce food, no food storage, and we find a fruit tree full of ripe fruit. We eat as much as we can, sleep, eat some more, invite our tribe, and the fruit is spoiled or eaten quickly. Our blood sugar spikes, insulin is excreted to force stock blood glucose in the cells of the body. If blood glucose levels don’t retreat the liver starts converting blood glucose to free fatty acids that are stored as adipose tissue, because high blood glucose will poison you. No more fruit for a while, maybe no more food for a while. Insulin levels drop opening the metabolic pathways for FFA. This is key, when insulin is present you cannot metabolize fat.

Most people don’t realize that even complete protein is partially digested into glucose, and glucose always inspires insulin secretion. Our society eats all the time, therefore insulin is pretty much always present. Exercise all you want, when insulin is present adipose tissue cannot be metabolized.

Regarding fiber, feces are waste and often antagonistic to the epithelial cells in the gut. Keeping them moving makes irritation and immune response less likely preventing things like colon cancer and IBD. Also, feeding friendly bacterial colonies in the gut is key to having those cultures ie. lactobacillus outcompete destructive cultures like helicobacter pylori.

In short fasting is the healthiest and most effective way to lose adipose tissue, because it’s the way we evolved to function for survival, it also triggers autophagy at intervals over 36 hours which makes your immune system go in cellular trash patrol, metabolizing things like cancer cells for fuel. I hope this helps.

Sedj 2y ago

Thanks, Jac, appreciate you taking time to relate all that. I definitely agree, based on my reading, that insulin is key in all of this. At least in healthy humans, I'm also aware that even fake sugar will trigger an insulin release similar to real sugar, so by eating "diet" foods, we really aren't changing the over-abundance of insulin in out systems. But we also require insulin, without it, we die. The key is to have it produced at low, consistent levels, and by eating an animal-based diet consisting of as little sugars as possible, we achieve this.

It is easy to "fill yourself up" on fats and protein, and once you've evolved past the constant sugar cravings, you won't really crave food for some time after each "meal". Coffee can help here too, as it still works as a partial appetite suppressant.

I know I won't be eating much over the weekend, because I'll largely be at the mercy of other people cooking. So I do tend to over-eat a bit on Fridays. Still, most of my food consumption will be between 11a and 4p. My next full protein meal will likely be Monday, although I may snack on something here and there in between, like shrimp or small amounts of meat.

I don't exercise intentionally, but I do try to find activity when I can. At my stage, activity is more important, I feel.

My understanding is that fiber is antagonistic to epithelial cells in the intestines, basically scraping gut walls so that a slippery layer (similar to an unformed scab) forms and other waste slides through easily - but this also scars the walls of the intestines over time. By having only the waste from digesting animal proteins and fats in your intestines, these move along quickly enough without any fiber (again, can testify to this, I haven't had fiber in months). I was a little concerned at my digestion without a gall bladder, as sometimes it can be harder to deal with fats - but since I am not digesting fats as well, I think these extra fats in my waste are helping as well.

Thanks for the thoughts on fasting. Do you see fasting as more of a weight loss imperative, or something that should be done regardless of weight and overall health? I think my attitude here is that it is more important to fix the diet first, and then deal with some of the other points, as without a good diet, fasting and exercise won't make much of a long-term difference.

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Discussion

Jac 2y ago

Interesting point about the fiber, also I think the gall bladder circumstance you are in makes a difference with stool. Regarding fasting, I think a solid 60 hour fast once a month is a substantial boon to every aspect of health. I think with a proper diet, eating one meal a day, preferably before bed is a solid way to work your digestive tract and give those organs a chance to recover. Digestion is demanding and we all like to sleep on a full belly! Once insulin presence is managed it’s easy to control weight by adjusting the meal interval. Your body will make up the lacking blood glucose by utilizing adipose tissue. I would encourage you to buy a blood glucose tester and a blood ketone tester, both readily available for $40. It’s interesting to watch your body switch modes during a feast or a fast. It’s like having gauges on a dashboard. We have the technology, but so few people utilize it. Wellness is effortful but fulfilling.

Sedj 2y ago

I agree, having glucose and ketone measuring abilities would provide some interesting data.

You may be right about the 60 hour fast. I don't see much point in a lot of the intermittent fasting programs, as most are describing fasts of less than 24 hours, which I already do often enough, now that I am free of the 2-hour carb cycle.

Interesting about eating your omad in the evening, hadn't heard this before, but I can see where that may be truest to nature - spend the day hunting and foraging, prepare whatever you've managed to harvest, and eat it, then go to sleep on a full belly of protein. Makes sense. I know I try to wait until late in the day if I'm going to eat anything sweet as an occasional treat. My hardest habit to break was morning pastries.

Jac 2y ago

There are few things I used to enjoy more than quality donuts and coffee, such a great flavor but man did I feel awful two hours later. I find that eating anything (though sustainability requires meat and veggies for satiety) and as much as I want in that late evening session relieves the FOMO through the day. It’s a dopamine release looking forward to my feast. The other thing the prolonged fast brings is decreased stomach capacity. It really doesn’t take much to feel satisfied, particularly if there is adequate fat to stimulate leptin, our satiety hormone.